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More Than 50 Years and Counting ​

W. R. Grace & Co. is delighted to support Columbia 50 as a Platinum Sponsor!

We can appreciate how far this beautiful community has come. That's because we've been here from the beginning!

When we opened our Washington Research Center here in 1958, it was the largest industrial chemicals research center in Maryland. Since then we have grown at our 160-acre site on Grace Drive off Cedar Lane.

Grace site circa 1959 looking north.

Built in 2014, the Grace headquarters building is certified LEED Silver.​​​

In 1999, the Columbia campus became our global headquarters, and just three years ago we opened our new LEED Silver certified headquarters building. Today we employ over 500 people here, including many Columbia residents. In addition to our corporate functions, our Columbia laboratories and technical specialists provide research and development, technical service, and analytical support to our customers around the world.

Though we've been a neighbor for many years and many members of our team live nearby, we know our business touches people's lives in ways they may not be aware of. Our customers are some of the world's leading brands and use our products to create everything from gasoline and toothpaste to cosmetics and beer. If you'd like to learn more, we invite you to explore
our website.

​​Over the years, Grace has been a good neighbor to Columbia, our fellow residents of Howard County, and the state of Maryland. In addition to the substantial economic impact of our jobs and capital investments, the W. R. Grace Foundation supports many local organizations, including the Howard County Conservancy, the Columbia Festival of the Arts, and Columbia 50. Over the past 10 years, we have donated $1.25 million to the Howard County General Hospital.